The Netherlands and Belgium have committed to upgrading the Ghent–Terneuzen freight-dedicated railway. It connects two areas of the North Sea Port. Authorities expect that the infrastructure will not be able to keep up with future demand, so an investment is necessary.
Both countries have now decided to go ahead with such an investment to “future-proof” the line. There are 120 million euros available on each side of the border. However, the port region will need to be patient for a little while longer before work actually commences.
Belgium and the Netherlands recently signed a memorandum of understanding on the Ghent–Terneuzen railway. The first tangible step towards upgrading the railway consists of an exploratory study into the possible improvements. This study will end in 2027. Only then the two countries will make a final decision on the upgrades.
Bottleneck eliminations and a reliability boost are on the Belgian-Dutch wishlist. Some promising improvements have already been identified: a ‘missing link’ between Axel and Zelzate, a southeast curve at the Sluiskil Bridge, and the northern access and expansion of the Zandeken railway yard.
Economic development
“I am pleased that we are now truly getting started on the realization of the Ghent–Terneuzen freight railway”, commented provincial Zeeland deputy Van der Maas. “We have been committed to this for years, together with our partners. It is good to see that things are now really picking up speed.”
“With these agreements, the Netherlands and Belgium are taking an important step forward towards a strong rail network and sustainable freight transport. This is of great importance for our port region, but also for the accessibility and economic development of Zeeland”, Van der Maas added.
It is not immediately clear if the 240 million euros will be enough to cover the ambitions that follow from the exploratory study. Belgium already reallocated funds reserved for the Ghent–Terneuzen connection earlier this year. The Netherlands appears to be opting for maintenance spending rather than investment this autumn, according to RailFreight.com’s sister publication SpoorPro.
Passenger trains too?
A more reliable and higher-capacity Ghent–Terneuzen connection will be good news for the rail freight industry nonetheless. However, if the project is successful, freight may very well get capacity competition from passenger trains in due time. The Dutch area surrounding Terneuzen is currently not connected to any passenger rail network. Consequently, the Zeeland province has the ambition to improve connectivity, and the freight railway could offer a relatively simple solution for that.